Film Reels
by Little-miss-laughs-alot
Summary: A stack of film reels sent to the Avenger Mansion will be intriguing for some, but for one, it will be difficult. Reliving Steve's past- before and after Captain America came to be, they get to know exactly who the kid from Brooklyn really is. Now Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER- I don't own any of the Avengers movies!**

-/-/-/-/-/

"What's this?" Tony read the note attached to the stack of film reels that JARVIS had alerted him about. Tony's eyes widened. He had to call in the others.

-/-/-/-/-/

Steve sat with the other Avengers, waiting to see what Tony had summoned them for. They had been sitting in the Avenger's mansion's movie theatre for almost twenty minutes, wondering what the genius-playboy-millionaire-whatever-he-called-himself wanted.

Steve sighed, it had been sixty-six years to the day since he had put the Hydra plane into the water, since he had been frozen, since he had spoken to Peggy. Kissed Peggy. He rested his head in his hand, he had been in his room all day, staring at the compass that had been returned to him. Inside was a picture of Peggy Carter. He carried that compass with him everywhere, it was one of the few things he had from his earlier days in WWII, the only picture he had of her.

"Helloooo Avengers!" Steve was drawn out of his thoughts by Tony announcing his presence.

"Tony, what is it now? Clint and I just got back from a mission!" Natasha said, slightly grumpily, although it was obvious that she was curious too.

"Alright, alright, there is a reason why I called you here-" Tony started

"Is there a reason why you are a half-hour late?" Natasha interrupted again, eyeing Tony's hastily buttoned shirt and mussed hair.

"Err- yes, Pepper and I were-talking. But anyway!" He started again. "I did call you here for a reason, and that reason is that something was just delivered here from Shield HQ. They sent some film reels, and one of them was recovered from Steve's crash site." Steve looked up immediately, "The other ones, I'm honestly not sure what they are or why they sent it, but they did, so I think you, especially Stevie Wonder Boy over there, have a right to see it."

"What is it?" Steve questioned, running things through his mind about what it might be, but drawing a blank.

"This." Tony said simply, withdrawing a couple film reels from behind his back.

Steve narrowed his eyes, "Let me see that." Tony obliged, handing one of the films to Steve, who examined it, before taking it out of it's case and holding a bit of film up to the light. His mouth dropped open. "There was a SECURITY CAMERA?" Tony nodded.

The other Avengers exchanged looks at different levels of bemusement: from Bruce, who looked like he had a slight grasp on what was going on, to Thor, who had probably never seen a movie before.

"Will someone tell us what's going on?" Clint blurted out, causing Steve and Tony to turn away from the reel and towards him.

"There was a security camera on the Hydra Plane that I crashed into the ice. This reel seems to show everything, from when I enter the cockpit to when it all goes black. Apparently, they were able to recover it and enhance the audio so that you can hear everything." Steve sighed, he seemed to be doing that a lot today. "I'm assuming that you guys want to watch them, don't you?" The rest looked at each other.

On one hand, some of them would be hard for Steve to watch. But on the other hand, it would help them all understand what the soldier had gone through over sixty years ago. Natasha made eye contact with everyone individually, then turned back to the front and nodded.

Steve adopted an odd expression, but nodded also.

"Alright! JARVIS, bring out the eight track player. Steve, set it up, I can't figure out how to play these things." Tony examined all of them, then smirked at one. "Let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

In a matter of minutes, the Captain had set up the complicated looking machine, then nodded at Tony, who called for JARVIS to turn the lights off. "Okay, let's get this over with," Steve said, then started it.

-/-/-/-/-/

**Hey! This came to me yesterday, and I really hope it will help me get out of my Percy Jackson writers block. I was thinking of just making it a oneshot, but I'm gonna make this a multi-chap. Thanks for reading, and please review with any suggestions at all, constructive criticism please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**THIS IS THE EDITED VERSION OF CHAPTER 2! I changed it some and added a scene in the beginning, cause I thought it fit better here. Please reread this chapter if you only read the original version! A/N and review replys from chapter 1 are at the bottom. **

-/-/-/-/-/

_The grainy black and white image flickered to life on the screen, showing the inside of a building, doctors and nurses bustling around, and young men everywhere. A large picture on the wall showed a soldier with his hand raised in a salute, but a mirror in place of his face. A large young man stepped on the small, square platform in front of it, causing his face to appear on the soldier's body. The girl accompanying him giggled and took hold of his arm, teasing him lightly as they walked away. _

"Where is this?" Clint asked.

Swatch looked at the screen and said "Coney Island, 1943. This is the enlistment building." Everyone nodded in understanding.

_After they had left, a light-haired figure took the other man's place on the platform, but was far too short, as only the top half of his head showed up on the soldier. Another young man came up behind the thin one and lightly shoved the smaller man. _

_"C'mon, you're kinda missing the point of a double-date, we're taking the girls dancing." The light haired one turned around and faced his friend, revealing his face. _

"Wait, Steve?"

"Um, yeah?" Tony stared open mouthed at the screen, causing the rest of the team to do double takes between the pale, scrawny boy on the screen and their leader.

"That's you?"

"You were indeed a very small person, Steve Rogers."

"Yeah," Steve looked at the paused image contemplatively. "I was pretty small, wasn't I?"

"_Pretty _small?" Tony asked incredulously. "Exactly how old were you?"

Steve's brow wrinkled slightly, "Twenty one."

"Twenty-"

"Let's just watch, okay?"

_"You go. I'll catch up with you." Steve said to his friend. _

_The dark haired man sighed and looked at the picture, "You're really gonna do this again?"_

__"What does he mean, _again?"_ Tony wondered, but the movie kept playing.

_"Well it's a fair, I'm gonna try my luck." Steve stated determinately, but with a touch of humor. _

_"As who? Steve from Ohio? They'll catch you. Or worse, they'll actually_ take_ you." _

_"_Who is this friend of yours? He seems quite worried about you." Thor questioned.

Steve sighed, "That's Bucky. We were best friends since we were kids." He smiled ruefully, "He's probably the reason I actually reached adulthood."

"What do you-" Natasha started to ask before Steve cut in.

"Well, I was basically used as a punching bag to, well, everyone. I couldn't run far, even if I wanted to, because of my asthma, so I was an easy target." After a few moments of quiet, when it became obvious that nobody would say anything, JARVIS continued playing it.

_"Look, I know you don't think I can do this..." There was a sight, exasperated tone to his voice as though he was tired of arguing the point. _

_"This isn't a back alley, Steve, it's war." Bucky interrupted him. _

_"I know it's a war. You don't have to tell me..."_

_"Well, why are you so keen to fight?" Bucky questioned, "There's so many important jobs..."_

_"What do you want me to do? Collect scrap metal in my little red wagon?" Steve was starting to get sarcastic. _

_"Yes! Why not?" Bucky started to sound frustrated at his hard-headed best friend._

_"I'm not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky." Steve was get frustrated too, and when Bucky was trying to talk over him, he raised his voice. "Bucky! Come on. There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do anything less than them. That's what you don't understand. This isn't about me."_

_"Right. 'Cause you got nothing to prove." Bucky said, disbelievingly. _

_They kept staring each other down, until, in the background, "Hey Sarge! Are we going dancing?" is heard, causing Bucky to turn around. _

_"Yes, we are!" His tone completely changed to something more carefree. He turned back to Steve as he backed away out of the doorway, "Don't do anything stupid 'till I get back." he warned half-heartedly. _

_"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you." Steve smirked. _

_Bucky came forward and gave Steve a hug. "You're a punk." _

_Steve replied with, "Jerk," but before the taller man turned and left, he said, "Be careful." Then he took a breath and called, "Don't win the war 'till I get there!"_

_Bucky replied with a salute, and the scene ended. _

_"_Is it done?" Tony asked.

"No. It's only about halfway done, I think there's another scene after this." As if on cue, the screen flickerd and a small room came into view.

_The only things in the room were a lamp, a scale, an examination table, a chair in the corner, and a table in the bottom of the screen. On the walls, there were two signs; one was an eye examination chart, and the other stated, "It is illegal to falsify your enlistment form". _

_Soon a doctor entered, followed by Steve. _

__"It's so weird seeing you like that." Bruce said. Everyone else nodded in agreement. The first video was from a distance, so they couldn't see many details, but this one was pretty close up, so they could see the almost hollow looking cheeks, the way his shirt seemed a bit big for him, and how skinny he actually was.

_The doctor was going through paperwork, his back turned on Steve, who was removing his shoes, his feet dangling off the table. After about a minute, a nurse came in and whispered something in the doctor's ear, causing him to nod slightly. _

_"Wait here." Was all the doctor said before turning to leave Steve alone in the room. _

_"Is there a problem?" Steve questioned. _

_"Just wait here." Was the man's non-answer. Causing some chuckles, Movie-Steve looked around to the sign behind him, and moved over to the chair to start putting on his shoes again. _

"Worried, Steve?" Natasha teased. Steve ignored her, and just looked at the screen.

_There was a rasping of curtains being pulled aside and an officer stood in the doorway, causing a staredown between him and Steve. A flicker of worry flickered across movie-Steve's face, until an elderly man wearing glasses came up behind the officer and dismissed him. Now it was just the doctor and Steve in the examination room._

_"So," the elderly man said in a German accent, getting out a folder, "You vant to go overseas, kill some Nazis."_

_"Excuse me?" Younger Steve looked bemused. _

They a watched as the man introduced himself as Dr. Abraham Erskine from the Strategic Scientific reserve, and Steve questioned where he was from.

_"Queens." responded Dr. Erskine. "Seventy third street and Eutopian Parkvay." He adjusted his glasses, "Before zat, Germany." He added in an offhand tone, making the occupants of the room chuckle. "Zis troubles you?" He continued on without waiting for a response, looking down at his folder, "Vere are you from, Mr. Rogers? Is it, New Haven? Or Paramos? Five exams in five different-"_

"Five exams? Seriously?"

"Oh, shut up."

_"It might not be the right file-" Movie-Steve cut him off, obviously nervous. _

_"Oh, it's not the five exams I'm interested in, it's the five try's. But you didn't answer my question," he continued when Steve opened his mouth, "Do you vant to kill Nazis?"_

_"Is this a test?" _

_"Yes," the doctor nodded. _

_Steve looked thoughtful for a minute, then responded. "I don't wanna kill anyone. I don't like bully's. I don't care where they're from." _

_Dr. Erskine looked satisfied. "Vell, zere are already so many big men fighting Zis war, maybe vat ve need now is a little guy, hm? I can offer you a chance. Only a chance." the elderly doctor opened the curtain._

_"I'll take it!" Steve said eagerly as they left the room and the screen went blank. _

The Avengers stared at Steve. "What?" he asked, confused.

"Five tries? Someone was determined." Bruce spoke for the first time.

"So, you took five exams to join the war, and you didn't want to kill anyone? I'm not seeing the logic in that one."

"Oh, shut up Tony." Steve's face was a bit pink. He wasn't really that bothered about the comment, but he realized that he would eventually see Peggy in the videos. He wondered what other bits of his life they would be watching. The one with the crash would be really hard, especially when he was talking on the radio. He was so lost in his thoughts that his name had to be called five times before he took notice.

"STEVE!" shouted Thor.

"Huh?" Steve sat up abruptly. "What?"

"We were asking if you were ready to watch the next one." Asked Clint.

"Oh, yeah, sure." He turned to Tony. "Which one now?"

Tony looked through them and grinned, "How about this one?" Steve groaned when he saw it.

"Alright, let's do this."

-/-/-/-/-/

**A/N- I really hope that adding italics makes it easier to read, here we go again! I know security cameras weren't exactly common around WWII, but for a better story, I'm going to pretend they were.**

**MarveyTibbsMcGarrettWilliams -Thanks so much for being my very first reviewer for this story! I'm glad you like it!**

**Pepperony Pizza (Guest)- I'm glad you are so excited for this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!**

**FlyingMachine1- Wow! Thanks! I've read two stories where they watch film reels and fell in love with the idea, I'm glad you feel the same about it! Thanks for taking the time to review! I hope this next chapter is up to your expectations!**

**AlyCat3- They will watch the main parts of Captain America, which will be decided as the story progresses. I think it will be just Cap, but who knows! Thanks for the review!**

**butterflykaguya87- Thanks for the review!**

**vampyfreak- Thanks for reviewing!**

**Miss America of the USA- Definitley! I'm glad you liked it!**

**DISCLAIMER-Anything having to do with the Avengers belongs to Marvel, not me!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I want to know how you like this version!**

**-Little-miss**


	3. Chapter 3

** MarveyTibbsMcGarrettWilliams - Will do!**

Miss America of the USA- Haha! Yep! Definitely planning on it!

Leigh (Guest)- Yeah, it will be hard for Steve, and I totally agree with that! Thanks for the suggestion, I hope this makes it easier to read!

FlyingMachine1- Thanks for the review! I'm really glad you liked it! A lot of people seem excited for this chapter, it's one of my favorite scenes too! Thanks for the continued support! Hope you like it!

vampyfreak- That's so great that you like the idea, I've liked the stories I've read about them watching, so I wanted to do one of my own! I love Steve's humor, thanks for the idea!

Farore64 (Guest)- First of all, thanks for the review! I'm so glad you like the idea and the fact that I'm continuing! For the scene you suggested, keep reading! It's this chapter!

PartyInTheBackBuisnessUpFron t- Thanks for the review! Glad you like it! (P.S, love the pen name!)

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the Avengers!

-/-/-/-/-/

_ The first thing they saw on the screen was a lineup of big, tough looking men._

As the camera moved down the line, showing about five men at a time, it showed another man, wearing an incredibly too large helmet, and about a head shorter than the men on either side of him.

Steve clenched his fists on the armrests of his chair. He knew when this was, it was the first day of training, and he definitely knew who he was going to see soon. If anybody else saw his tense posture, no one commented.

_ "Recruits! Attention!" _

Steve gasped slightly, an achingly familiar voice hitting him, making him want to leave, but at the same time, stay. Steve never thought he would hear that voice again, that all he had was a picture.

"Cap, you alright?" Clint asked, making everyone turn around as JARVIS paused the projector.

"I-I'm fine, just, just a bit hard. Go ahead and play it." He had to be strong.

Tony gave him a slightly worried look, but complied. Steve wondered when Howard would appear on screen, how Tony would take it. He turned his attention back to the screen.

_ "Gentlemen, I'm Agent Carter, I supervise all operations for this division." Peggy said._

Steve smirked, he knew what was coming up.

_ "Whats with the accent, Queen Victoria? I thought I was signing up for the U.S Army." A tough looking guy with a Brooklyn accent drawled, catching Agent Carter's attention._

"What's your name, soldier?"

"Gilmore Hodge, your majesty."

"Step forward, Hodge." Hodge did so, looking back to his friend next to him. "Put your right foot forward," Peggy's face showed no sign of what she was thinking.

"We gonna wrassle? 'Cause I got a few moves I know_ you'll like," Hodge smirked with a wink._

Everyone watching grimaced at the man on screen.

_ Suddenly, Peggy's arm swung and punched Hodge on the side of the face, knocking him to the ground. Peggy smirked slightly._

Everyone cheered, laughing at the expression on Hodge's face as he sat on the ground, suffering from a huge dent in his ego.

"That's great!" choked out Bruce.

"She's kinda like a Natasha from the forties, except, well, not an assassin..." contemplated Tony, causing said assassin to punch him on the arm.

"I like this woman!" Thor said excitedly.

"Me too." Steve agreed quietly, unheard by everyone but the two assassins next to him. They exchanged looks but stayed quiet.

_ "Agent Carter!" Came a gruff voice. The woman turned around to face the speaker, a tough looking man followed by Dr. Erskine._

"Colonel Phillips!" She greeted.

"I see you are breaking in the candidates?" Then, to Hodge, "Get your a** up out of that dirt and stand in that line at attention 'till somebody comes and tells you what to do."

Phillips then proceeded to go on a long-winded speech about how wars are won by men, etc. etc. that succeeded in a major loss of attention from the majority of the room.

_ He finally stopped talking, and the screen was blank for a bit, before a flagpole next to a dirt road showed up. A car was sitting a few yards away from the flag, containing Agent Carter and another person._

"Pick up the pace, ladies!" a man's voice was heard, yelling at a double line of soldiers to move faster before yelling, "Halt!"

Steve, who had been lagging behind, stopped when everyone else did, but put his hands on his knees and tried to breathe.

"That flag," He pointed, "means we're only at the halfway point! First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agent Carter! Move!"

The men, excepting Steve, ran and crowded around it, trying to climb the smooth flagpole and failing miserably. Steve just concentrated on breathing. After a minute of watching them struggle, the men were called back into formation. Except for Steve.

"What're you doing?"

"You'll see."

_ Steve walked over, examined the flagpole, then bent down and pulled the metal pin out of the base, causing the entire pole to topple over._

A chorus of laughter broke out at the expressions on the other soldiers' faces. It looked like they were all mentally kicking themselves for not thinking of that.

_ He handed the flag to the man with a "Thank you sir", and jumped into the car to get a ride back, receiving a smile from Agent Carter as the screen went blank._

"There's still a few minutes left, I think that there is one more scene." Steve informed everyone, examining the projector before looking up, "What?" Everyone was staring at him.

"Was that your girlfriend?" Tony blurted out before anyone could ask a more substantial question.

"Excuse me?" Steve asked, taken aback.

"Was she," he pointed at the screen, "your girlfriend?"

"Uhhm. Hey! It's back on!" Steve grabbed the opportunity of avoiding the question gladly and faced the screen, which now showed about twenty men doing push ups. Everyone else exchanged looks then followed suit.

_ The men are being overseen by Agent Carter who is calling out insults to make them work harder. The camera zooms out as Col. Phillips' voice is heard._

"You're not really thinking about picking Rogers, are you?"

"I'm more zan just zinking about it. It's ze clear choice," responded Dr. Erskine.

"When you brought a ninety pound asthmatic onto my army base, I let it slide. I thought 'what the hell, he might be useful to you, like a gerbil."

JARVIS had to pause the film again, as everyone was laughing too hard to hear anything.

"Ah, Cap, you never told us about that!"

"I didn't hear it..." Steve answered, his face turning pink, but still laughing anyway.

"C'mon! Let's continue," Natasha said, recovering quickest. "JARVIS?"

"Right away madam." the AI responded.

_ "-Never thought you'd pick him." Phillips continued._

"Up!" Agent Carter commanded.

"Put a needle in that kid's arm, it's gonna go right through him. Look at that, he's making me cry!"

"I am looking for qualities beyond ze physical." Dr. Erskine said patiently.

"Do you know how long it took to set up this project? All the groveling I had to do in front of Senator What's-His-Name's croch?" the Colonel muttered.

"Yes, I am vell a aware of your efforts-"

"Then throw me a bone, Hodge passed every test we gave him! He's big, he's fast, he obeys orders, he's a soldier!"

"Oh god, not _him_!"

_ "He's a bully." Dr. Erskine shot him down._

"You don't win wars with niceness, Doctor." Phillips moved over to the truck, "You win wars with guts." He pulled the pin and tossed a grenade into the midst of the soldiers. "GRENADE!"

All of the men ran for cover except Steve. Steve ran straight towards it, curling around it, willing to make the sacrifice.

Everyone was once again staring at Steve.

"What?" he demanded. "I did what I had to do!" Everyone just turned away, the captain would continue to do incredibly selfless things, they might as well get used to it.

_ After a minute with no blast, somebody said, "It was a dummy grenade!"_

All of the men looked abashed at the fact that they had hidden from a fake bomb, but Steve looked up at Dr. Erskine and asked, "Is this a test?"

The doctor nodded and looked to Phillips.

"He's still skinny." was he last thing they heard before the screen went blank.

"Phillips was a jerk." Clint announced to much agreement.

"Here, let me see the reels." Steve requested, ignoring Clint's comment. Tony complied and handed them over. "Hm, heres the next one and I've put the rest in chronological order so it will be easier."

The rest of the gang exchanged glances, curious about what part of Steve's life they were soon going to see.

"Everyone ready? Let's start."

-/-/-/-/-/

** I really hope you liked this chapter! I don't know why, but I had some trouble writing it. I apologise fer anee speeling eerrors, I write on my iPod touch... Please review! I loved all of the reviews I've gotten, everyone is amazing! I'll update as soon as I right the next chapter! Give suggestions as to what scenes you want, this one was requested a lot! ~Little-Miss **


	4. Chapter 4

** A/N- I'm baack! Okay, so school is starting on Tuesday, so I probably won't be updating as often, but I'm definitely going to keep writing this! I really hope you like this chapter!**

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the Avengers!

MarveyTibbsMcGarrettWilliams - I'm going to do that scene later on, this one comes first.

NickiMinajIsSWAG- I'm so glad you like it!

Amy (Guest)- I'm really glad you liked this chapter! It's definitely going to be hard for him... Poor Steve! As for your second review, that's a really good idea! Thanks!

FlyingMachine1- I love Peggy, so I definitely had to have everyone cheer for her! Thanks for the suggestion, and I would use it, but I just couldn't figure out how to justify why there was a camera in Steve's room... I do love that scene though!

Miss America of the USA- Thanks for the review!

TheMostRandomOfRandomWriters - Haha! Me too! (Love the penname!)

Pepperony Pizza (Guest)- Haha! Don't worry, he will definitely turn up soon! I've been waiting for my brain to stop being indecisive about what scene I should do!

vampyfreak- Thanks!

The-storm-chasers- Thanks!

_ The image of a large room flickered to life on the screen. The whole place is bustling with people in lab coats checking blinking buttons and levers that made sense to almost nobody. In the middle of the room stood what looked like a metal bed, almost surrounded by a large control panel._

Nobody interrupted, they all knew what this was.

_ A hush fell through the room as the doors at the top of the stairs opened and Agent Carter entered, followed by Steve. Steve looked around nervously, feeling all eyes on him, and hearing whispers._

"Cap, I can honestly say that I will _never_ get used to you looking like that!" This came from Clint, who was staring at the screen.

"Well, you won't be seeing it much longer," Steve responded tightly, it was still hard seeing Peggy. And now he was going to see Howard too-Oh God. How was Tony going to take seeing his dad? Steve knew that Tony hadn't had the best relationship with his father... He shook his head. He would deal with that when something happened, the others were waiting to watch.

"JARVIS?" Steve said, still not used to the electronic butler, "Can you play it?"

"Right away, sir." The AI responded.

_ Steve and Peggy headed down the stairs to where Dr. Erskine was waiting._

"Good Morning." he greeted as they shook hands. A flash bulb went off next to them, "Please, not now!"

Steve stared at the metal bed, obviously nervous. "Are you ready?" Erskine asked, to which Steve nodded slightly. "Good, please take off your shirt, your tie, and your hat." Steve complied nervously, handing the clothes to a scientist behind him before climbing onto the bed.

"Geez! Somebody get that kid a sandwich."

Steve winced slightly, he was used to people making fun of his size, but this stung slightly, as he had forgotten that it had been said.

"What an a**," Tony said, making Steve smile.

_ Dr. Erskine came up to Steve's side as he was shifting around. "Comfortable?"_

"It's a little big."

There were some chuckles at that.

_ The doctor laughed slightly._

"Save me any of that schnapps?" Steve asked.

"Not as much as I should have. Sorry, next time." He turned away. "Mr. Stark?"

Tony looked up suddenly, his eyes wide and all eyes on him. Steve winced. He should have warned Tony about this.

"Just play it." Tony said when everyone but Steve looked like they were about to ask.

_ "How are your levels?"_

"Levels at one hundred percent."

"Good." Dr Erskine walked away as Howard approached Steve's side.

The thought on everyone's mind was "Wow, they look alike!" It was true, one of the only big differences was that Tony had a slight beard and had slightly lighter hair. Wisely, nobody commented.

_ "We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we're ready. As we'll ever be."_

"That's reassuring!" Natasha said sarcastically, causing everyone to laugh.

"Yeah, that didn't exactly help my nerves."

_ Steve turned his head to face the ceiling again, a look of worry on his face, and Dr. Erskine turned to Agent Carter. "Agent Carter, don't you think you would be more comfortable in the booth?" obviously hinting that she shouldn't be on the main level during the procedure._

"Oh, yes, of course. Sorry." Peggy left reluctantly, looking back at Steve in concern.

Dr. Erskine picked up a microphone and tapped on it a few times, drawing everyone's attention. "Can you hear me? Is zis on?" he went on to describe what was going to happen, none of which sounded pleasant. The whole while he was talking, nurses were placing large pads over Steve's major muscle groups and strapping him in.

"That looks pretty hardcore." Tony said, worry evident on his face. "Looks like it hurt."

"It did." Steve replied, remembering the pain of his whole body realigning itself, being unable to keep the screams to himself. "Let's keep watching."

_ Erskine finished his speech and came over to Steve who turned his face away from a needle going into his arm. Once it was pulled out, he said, "That wasn't so bad." to which the doctor gave an almost pitying look._

"Zat vas penicillin." He sighed, but announced, "Serum infusion beginning in five...four...three...two..." he hesitated and rested a hand on Steve's shoulder before saying, "one."

The vials of fluid drained, levers were pulled by gloved hands, and Steve tried not to let the pain of the infusion show, but let out a groan.

The others exchanged looks. The pain must've been horrible, Steve didn't show pain easily.

_ "Now, Mr. Stark." Howard pulled a lever, causing the bed to to turn upright and close, making a sort of metal cocoon. Dr. Erskine walked up to it and tapped on the window. "Steven? Can you hear me?"_

Steve's voice was muffled, "It's probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?"

Again, all eyes were on Steve. Tony, unsurprisingly, was the first to speak.

"You have a sense of humor!"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Yes! He's _not_ a robot!" Steve had a mixture of amusement and bemusement on his face.

"What made you think-"

"JARVIS! Please play the video!" Bruce requested, knowing that, uninterrupted, this could take a long time.

"As you wish, sir."

_ Dr. Erskine smiled then turned away. "We vill proceed."_

Everyone in the room put on sunglasses, and Howard started turning a wheel, yelling out percentages. The room was filled with a loud humming noise as the light emanating from the window grew brighter and brighter. Around seventy percent, Steve started screaming, causing Erskine to try and get his attention by pounding on the window.

Everyone had looks of horror on their faces at the fact that Steve had gone through that much pain. Steve looked down, he hated the fact that he had shown weakness, and hated the fact that his team saw him like that.

_ Peggy ran out of the booth shouting, "Shut it down! Shut it down!"_

Dr. Erskine commanded Howard to kill the reactors, which he was going to do, but suddenly Steve's voice was heard.

"No! Don't! I can do this!" Howard hesitated for a moment before turning back to the controls, continuing to shout out percentages.

"Eighty. Ninety. That's one hundred percent!" The humming noise increased, the light grew brighter, and sparks exploded from the controls along the walls before the machine powered down. Everyone stared for a moment, until Erskine turned around.

"Mr. Stark?"

The cocoon opened, revealing the formerly ninety pound weakling, breathing heavily and now sporting a brilliant set of muscles.

"Steven?" The doctor helped him down. There was a chorus of "we did it!"'s and a "You actually did it!" from Howard before Peggy approached Steve.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

He was panting, but he stood tall, looking over the heads of those who were taller than him mere minutes before. "Taller."

There were a few laughs at his response.

_ "Um... You look taller." She reached out as if to touch his chest, then seemed to think better of it and handed him a t-shirt, watching him._

There were congratulations from those in the booth, and the tape ended.

Steve looked up from his hands, hoping that he wouldn't see disappointment on his team's faces for showing that much weakness. What he got was vastly different. Yes, everyone was looking at him, but they weren't looks of disappointment, they were looks of amazement.

"What did it feel like?" was the first question.

"Like my entire body was being ground to dust before being completely readjusted." Steve answered truthfully. There was silence for a moment, before the next question.

"Why didn't you let them stop?"

Steve considered for a moment before sighing and answering. "'Cause I'm just the little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight." The words obviously held significance for Steve, who was quiet for a minute. "At least, that's how Bucky put it. I never ran, because when you start running, they'll never let you stop. That's why."

"Okay, how about we take a break, get some lunch, then come back and watch more in an hour or so. Alright?" Tony knew that everyone needed a chance to lighten up before the next reel, he didn't know which one it would be.

The group gave noises of consent and trickled out of the room. Tony looked back at Steve who was the last one in the room, just in time to see him staring at a small round object in his hand before swallowing and walking away.

** A/N- This turned kinda sad at the end, but I hope I did the scene justice! Review! They make my day! **


	5. Chapter 5

** A/N- Not much commenting in this one, and it's kinda short, but the next one should be better.**

vampyfreak- I was definitely going to do that scene! Great idea too!

Amy (Guest)- Thanks for the review! I really love the feedback! Yeah, I feel so bad for Steve, he didn't deserve being frozen.

FlyingMachine1- Wow! Thanks for the long review! I loved the choice of actor too! I'm glad you understand about why I couldn't do the scene, I wish I could've found an excuse though...

marianne- Thanks for the review!

Matsukaze Tenma- I'm glad you like it! Enjoy!

Steve sighed as he put his compass back in his pocket. The break was over and they were all back in the theater, waiting for the next reel to play. Steve rubbed his temples; he knew which one was coming up, and wasn't looking forward to it. Soon the image of a stage appeared on the screen, causing most to look confused.

"Just wait." Steve sighed, resigned to his fate. As if on cue, trumpets sounded and a group of women in showy (for that time) costumes took their places.

"Is this-" Tony choked out.

"Yep." Everyone besides the genius and the soldier looked confused but shrugged.

_** "Who's strong and brave here to save the American way?" The girls sang, parting as Steve was, quite obviously, shoved onstage. He looked slightly disoriented, but stepped forward as the looking nervous.**_

"Not all of us can storm a beach or drive a tank, but there's still a way all of us can fight." Steve was obviously reading notes on the back of his shield.

** Who vows to fight like a man for what's right night and day?**

"Series E defense bonds. Each one you buy Is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy's gun."

** Who will campaign door-to-door for America,**

Carry the flag shore to shore for America,

From Hoboken to Spokane,

The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!

We can't ignore there's a threat and a war we must win,

Who'll hang a noose on the goose-stepping goons from Berlin?

"Whats goose-stepping?" Thor did an imitation of what he thought that goose-stepping was, involving waddling with an elongated neck, puffed out chest, and his arms bent to signify wings.

Everyone was laughing too hard to tell the demigod what it was, so JARVIS continued.

_ "Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy's gun."_

** Who will redeem, head the call for America,**

Who'll rise or fall, give his all for America,

Who's here to prove that we can?

The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!

"Now we all know this is about trying to win this war. We can't do that without bullets and bandages, tanks and tents. And that's where you come in, each bond you buy will help protect someone you love." As Steve was talking, children were yelling to warn him about "Hitler" coming up behind the line of girls. Steve turned just in time to punch him in the face, causing the crowd to go wild.

** Stalwart and steady and true,**

(see how this guy can shoot, we tell ya, there's no substitute!)

Forceful and ready to defend the

Red, White, and Blue!

Who'll give the Axis the sack, and is smart as a fox?

"A fox?"

_** (far as an eagle will soar)**_

Who's making Adolph afraid to step out of his box?

(He knows what we're fighting for!)

Who waked the giant that napped in America?

We know it's no-one but Captain America,

Who'll finish what they began?

Who'll kick the Krauts to Japan?

The Steve was holding up three of the women on a motorcycle as the song finished.

** The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!**

The film finished and there was a moment of silence before everyone started cracking up; even Steve.

"I for-forgot how ridiculous that was!" Steve choked out.

"That's great! So, you were a showgirl?" Of course that was Tony.

Natasha and Clint were laughing too hard to speak, leaning against eachother for support as they tried to get some air.

"Um, didn't you want to join the army?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah." Steve answered as Tony coughed, making a sound that sounded like, "Understatement."

"Then why are you performing in a musical number advertising bonds?"

"Long story, it was either be a dancing monkey, or a lab rat." Steve said glumly, reaching over to his sketchbook and displaying the picture of the Captain America monkey on a unicycle that he had drawn the day he went to go rescue the 107th. The picture caused another round of giggles.

"Let's start the next one." Tony suggested.

"Wait, where's Thor?"

** A/N- Hope you liked it! FYI, I'm not updating until I have seven reviews for this chapter! I had five for the last one, and I want more! Those things are highly addictive! I'm planning to have about twelve chapters, give or take, but I'm definitely open to suggestions! Review if you want Thor to be found!**

-Little-miss 


	6. Chapter 6

WOW! WHAT A RESPONSE! I asked for 7 reviews, and I got 13 in 24 hours! Thanks for the overwhelming support! To thank all of you, I'm posting early, so I hope you like it!

DISCLAIMER- I am not Stan Lee, and I don't own the Avengers!

Audrey Lynne- Haha! Thanks!

nickypooh- Thanks for the review! Glad you liked it!

booklover613- Nice mental picture! Now I have the image of Thor going goose-stepping! Sorry that Thor's hiding place isn't as interesting as that... Thanks for the review!

The-storm-chasers- Haha! Yeah, Steve would make a very pretty chorus girl!

Qweb- Will do!

Lollypops101- Love that scene too! I'm glad you liked it!

vampyfreak- Thanks!

Emily01- You could say that...

Amy (Guest)- I do feel bad for Steve, but that was SO necessary (If only to satisfy my own amusement). Yep! The motorcycle holding is pretty awesome! Hmmm, good idea for jokes! I'll look into that!

guest (Guest)- Yeah, Thor is pretty hard to misplace... I love the scene with Peggy shooting at Steve, definitely going to be in this.

handle-with-special-care- Aww! Thanks!

mrssteverodgers- Here you go!

Katie Kat (Guest)- Aw! Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you like it so much!

The team went out to search for Thor, until Tony remembered JARVIS. "JARVIS!"

"Yes sir?"

"Where is Thor?"

"He is currently in the kitchen." Was it just Steve's imagination, or did the computer sound a bit disgruntled? He shook his head. The team headed to the kitchen where they met what looked like a war zone; Thor seemed to have emptied every cupboard in the room, and was currently ransacking the fridge.

"Thor!" Clint yelled, causing the demigod to turn around, "What the hell?"

"This is a most grievous catastrophe! There are no more Pop-Tarts!" Thor looked almost ready to cry.

The group exchanged looks, wide-eyed. They didn't want a repeat of _last time_ they were out of Thor's favorite food. Steve shuddered; that hadn't been fun.

"It's okay big guy. JARVIS? order more Pop-Tarts to be delivered express mail _immediately_!" Tony stressed the last word.

"Right away, sir."

"In the meantime, let's keep watching, JARVIS will let us know when they are delivered."

Ten minutes later found the heroes back in the theater, Thor happily eating and the next reel flickering to life on the screen.

_ The image showed an army tent, filled with people going about their business with papers and trying to avoid the rain pouring outside. Colonel Phillips signing something, a sombre expression on his face._

"Colonel Phillips." Steve's voice was heard before he was seen on camera, closely followed by Peggy, approaching the Colonel's desk.

"If it isn't the Star Spangled Man with a Plan. What is your plan today?" Phillips responded sarcastically.

"I need the casualty list from Azzano."

Steve sighed, that day was one of the worst of his life; thinking that his best friend was dead.

_ "You don't get to give me orders, son."_

"I just need one name: Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th."

"Oh!" A few people gasped quietly. They all knew the story of Bucky from reading Steve's file.

_ Phillips pointed to Peggy, ignoring Steve. "You and I are gonna have a conversation later that you wont enjoy."_

"Please, tell me if he's alive, sir. B-A-R-" He persisted urgently.

"I can spell," There was a moment of silence before he stood. "I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count, but the name sounds familiar. I'm sorry." and he did look it. The expression on Steve's face was one of immense sadness and shock.

The other Avengers were all filled with pity for what Steve must've been feeling that day, when he heard that.

_ "What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?"_

"Even though your friend was most likely dead, you still asked and wanted to save the others! I commend you for this." Thor stated solemnly, breaking the silence that the observers had been in, simply watching the scene play out.

"Er, thanks," Steve said awkwardly, "JARVIS?"

"Right away, sir."

_ "Yeah, it's called winning the war." Phillips picked up again._

"But if you know where they are, why not at least send..."

"They're thirty miles behind enemy lines, through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe." the colonel interrupted impatiently. "We'd lose more men than we'd save. But I don't expect you to understand that because you're a chorus girl."

"What?" Tony asked when he realized that everyone was staring at him. "He was!"

_ "I understand just fine." Steve's expression was stony._

"Well, then, understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly, you have some place to be in thirty minutes." the Colonel walked away to examine a map.

"You just found out your best friend might be dead, and he's telling you to go perform?" Bruce asked incredulously to much agreement.

"Not much room for sympathy in the army, it's a tight schedule." Steve's matter-of-fact way of saying this made everyone else exchange looks before continuing.

_ Steve was looking at the map showing where the prisoners were held. "Yes, sir. I do." he said before walking away and the film stopped._

By Steve's tone, everyone knew that Phillips and the Captain were not thinking of the same place.

"This was a short one, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but there was quite a bit packed into that." Natasha answered Clint. "Ready for the next one?"

"One minute, Tony, can I talk to you for a minute?" Steve asked after checking the next reel. Tony gave his consent and they left the room, leaving the others to wonder what they were talking about.

** A/N- Hope you liked it! I hope I had enough commentary, but if not, leave a review! If I put in too much, leave a review! If there was just enough, leave a review! (Are you seeing a pattern here? Thanks for reading! REVIEW! I'm aiming for fourteen this time! If you want a new chapter... REVIEW!**

-Little-miss 


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- OMG! OVER 50 REVIEWS! EEEEEEEE! Here's the next chapter! Sorry about not updating sooner, Sophomore year kills. I've had AP Gov, along with Geometry, Chemistry, and Spanish homework almost every night! Week two! Anyway, I got into my school's production of Pirates of Penzance (I'm a policeman because we don't have enough guys to play all of the guy roles...) so I'm going to update whenever it's possible, but it won't be very often. =(. For this story, Agent Coulson is alive! He won't make an appearance, but he's alive. Just FYI.**

Also, with anonymous reviews, PLEASE give yourself a name! I hate just answering to Guest.

Ducky (Guest)- Well, thanks for telling me that, I'm glad you like it though! The reason I set a minimum is because reviews keep me motivated to continue. The minimum I set is usually the amount of reviews I normally get, not anything insane.

storm-chasers- Yes, that is what Steve wants to talk about. Thanks for reviewing!

booklover613- To tell the truth, I do like your idea better, but I had already written that part, and I'm lazy... Whatcha gonna do? ;P Hehe! Thanks for leaving the review! Definitely appreciated! (It is a pain to type on my iPod, especially. It's worth it though!)

Qweb- I'm glad you like them! I was having technical difficulties and everything showed up bold... I guess you should read to find out!

Guest- Haha! The review is much appreciated! Sorry for the wait, schools a killer...

vampyfreak- Wouldn't forget that for anything! One of my favorites.

mrssteverodgers- Hehe! Thor reference!

guest (Guest)- I guess you'll find out! (Mysterious laugh)

cucumbersrockursocks- Seen Thor five times, Captain America atleast 10 (This story requires quite a bit of studying. Lol), the Avengers twice, and the rest of them once each... Geeks united!

LaughingLadybug- Hehe! That would've been funny!

Guest- Aw! Thanks! Yeah, it will be hard, but I'm looking forward to it too.

Telekenetic in the usa- You'll see! I'm glad you like it!

Tony followed Steve through one of the doors in the long hallway before leaning against a wall and looking at him expectantly. The soldier took a deep breath and began. "So, listen. I looked at the next reel, and I thought I should tell you that-"

"My dad is on it." It wasn't a question.

"How did you know?" Steve looked at him quizzically.

"My dad, he wasn't the tuck-your-kid-in-after-playing-ball-with-him-all-day kinda dad. No matter what I did, he wasn't impressed. One thing I do remember, though, was the stories he would tell. He told stories about the war- about you, about the Howling Commandos and the Super Soldier Serum. I was told those stories so many times, I could practically recite them word-for-word. One of them was the flight to rescue the 107th. Eventually, I started to get jealous of the man my dad obviously cared for more than me."

Steve opened his mouth to respond, but Tony wasn't finished yet. "He never paid attention to me. My mom tried to make up for it, and tried to get him to pay attention, but it never worked. The only time he paid attention to me was either telling the stories, or when he was drunk and thought I needed punishment." There was a dark undertone as he said the last bit and a shadow in his eyes.

Steve didn't quite know how to respond to that, especially the last part, as he understood what Tony meant. He did, however, know that he needed to say something. "It's obvious that we knew two different sides of Howard, and I know-"

"It's fine." Tony interrupted, an understanding look on his face. Steve sighed, the millionaire was putting up his mask before entering the room, a practiced nonchalant expression. "We'd better go back in before Hercules decides to try and play the projector himself."

Steve smiled and followed the other man into the theater again, feeling proud that Tony trusted him enough to open up.

Meanwhile...

"Ugh! Why must they take so long!"

"Shut up, Thor."

"Tasha-"

"Shut up, Barton."

"Oh, resorting to last names, are we Romanov?"

"Clint..."

"Can everyone stop fighting! They've been gone for less than a minute!"

"But Bruucee! It's taking too long!"

"Clint, you are a sniper/assassin. I'm pretty sure you have some semblance of patience."

"No he doesn't."

"Yes I do!"

"One word, Clint. New Orleans."

"That was two words! And uncalled for!"

"What is this New Orleans?"

"Nothing, just Mr. Patience over there got impatient and crawled through the air vents of the building to scare the target out."

"Well it worked!"

"You almost got caught!"

"Nuh-Uh!"

"Uh-Huh!"

"Shut up! Both of you! You are acting like children!"

"Bruce, now you sound like Coulson!"

"Oh yeah, especially when we were first partners!"

"Remember Timbuktu?" At this, the assassins fell into quiet laughter to the resigned amusement of the other Avengers in the room.

"Miss me?" Tony's voice echoed through the expansive room, causing sighs of relief from almost everyone.

"You were gone?" Natasha asked, fake-innocently.

"Ha ha ha, Spidey. Capsicle, turn on the video!"

"Yessir." Cap's army training was kicking in again. "I mean, sure." After a few seconds, "Ready," as the next image flickered to life.

_The screen showed the inside of a plane, with Steve and Peggy looking over a map. Only the pilot's silhouette was visible._

_"The Hydra camp is in Kreuzberg, tucked between these two mountain ranges. It's a factory of some kind." Peggy was saying to Steve, who had a leather jacket on over his costume, and seemed to have taken one of the girls' helmets which had a pair of goggles over them._

_"We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep!"_

Natasha glanced at Tony, who was resolutely not making eye contact with anybody, just staring at the screen. Clint noticed and looked at her questioningly._His dad_ she mouthed to her partner, who nodded understandingly.

_"Just get me as close as you can! You two are gonna be in a lot of trouble when you land."_

"And you won't?" Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow, causing Steve to chuckle. "What?"

"You'll see!"

_"And you won't?" Peggy questioned._

"I told you! She's a Natasha from the '40's!" Tony exclaimed, although Steve noticed a bit of the dark undertone from earlier in his voice most likely caused by the presence of his father in the video.

_"Where I'm going, if anyone yells at me, I can just shoot 'em." Steve responded with a grim sort of smile._

_"They will undoubtedly shoot back." Peggy shot back._

_"Well, let's hope it's good for something." Steve knocked on the shield next to him._

_"Agent Carter? If we're not in too much of a hurry, I thought we could stop off in Lucerne for some late night fondue!" Howard called from the front._

"Like father like son." Clint muttered, taking care not to be heard by Tony. He received a sharp look from both Steve and Natasha, who obviously knew more than he did. Clint had picked up pretty quickly that Tony and his father hadn't had the best relationship, but that was the extent of his knowledge on the subject. He knew better than to ask.

_After a few moments of silence, Peggy continued. "Stark is the best civilian pilot I've ever seen. He's mad enough to brave this airspace. We're lucky to have him." She seemed to be trying to convince herself as much as Steve._

_"So are you two... Do you... Fondue?" Steve stuttered uncomfortably._

"JARVIS, pause it."

"Right away, sir."

Tony, along with everyone else, stared at a red-faced Steve.

"Seriously?"

"I know what fondue is now!"

"How didn't you know what fondue was?"

"I was lactose intolerant. Also, we didn't have the widest range of meals where I grew up." Steve stated before continuing to talk, "JARVIS, please play it."

"Yes sir."

_Peggy stared for a moment, but soon continued. "This is your transponder. Activate it when you're ready, and the signal will lead us straight to you."_

_"Are you sure this thing works?" Steve sounded more than a little unsure._

_"It's been tested more than you, pal." Howard's answer came back._

There were a few quiet snickers and heads were shaken at the similarities between father and son, although nobody commented.

_Suddenly, there was the sound of gunfire, along with light from the dark windows and the plane shaking. Steve jumped up and moved to the door._

_"Get back here! We're taking you all the way in!" Peggy shouted as he opened it._

_Steve ignored her and commanded, "As soon as I'm clear, you turn this thing around and get the hell out of here!"_

_"You can't give me orders!" Peggy exclaimed indignantly._

_"Like hell I can't! I'm a captain!" The last image on screen was Steve in mid jump._

Everyone was chuckling at his response. Tony, of course, had to say something. "How did I not know you could be funny?"

"Oh yes, because telling people about my sense of humor is the first thing I talk about." Steve stated sarcastically before looking at the remaining film canisters. "Ready for the next one?"

"Wait! I want popcorn!" Clint stated enthusiastically to much agreement.

"And Pop-Tarts!"

**Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! REVIEW! They are amazing! Just like you!**

**-Little-miss**


	8. Chapter 8

** A/N- I'm baaaaack! Thanks for all of the amazing feedback! 15 REVIEWS! Thanks so much! Sorry about not updating, I wanted to, but school and life and Drama Club got in the way! It's a sad thing when finishing my homework at 9PM is considered early...**

On another note, ATTENTION ALL LES MIS FANS! I have a new multi-chap out, called "A Little Fall of Rain?" Go to my stories and check it out!

DISCLAIMER- I, unfortunately, do not own the wonderful Avengers. If I did, the sequel would already be out. All rights go to Marvel comics and Stan Lee! No copyright infringement intended!

LasagnaLover- Haha! Glad you liked it! Thanks for both of your reviews!

vampyfreak- Thanks!

nickypooh- Thanks for the review! Glad you liked it!

FlyingMachine1- Thanks! That is super weird, like, REALLY weird! There is a major shortage of guys, not even enough for all of the pirates, although I am impressed that we only needed one girl to play a pirate!

LaughingLadybug- Yeah, Tony is one of a kind.

WolfDarkfur- Hehe! Thanks! Love his sense of humor too!

PrincessMnMz- Thanks!

PrincessMnMz- My kind of humor! Haha! Thanks for the review!

jwstahle- Thanks! I'm so glad you like it! I was hoping that people would like it!

Leorocks5 (Guest)- Aww! Thanks!

Ktsteele- Thanks!

mudkipz (Guest)- Txttlk wuz abit unecessry, but I appreciate the review all the same!

ArtisticCET77- Yay! My goal was achieved! I made someone laugh! Thanks!

katie kat (Guest)- Hehe! Glad snack food is so humorous! Don't you love when that happens! It's all quiet, then you start cracking up? Happens to me all the time! I'm glad I did his humor justice, it was pretty easy, I have the same sense of humor... Thanks! 

Soon, everyone was settled back in and munching on various snacks. Steve and Thor were both sporting some interesting hairdos from an exciting lesson on how NOT to get Pop-Tarts out of a plugged in toaster. Tony was muttering about how he wished he could throw Mjolnir out the window in payback for his toaster being broken. Natasha and Clint were snickering on the couch, and Bruce was sighing exasperatedly about the insane group of people he called his friends.

"Everyone ready?" Steve asked, trying in vain to flatten his hair, which was singed at the ends, causing another round of laughter from the two assassins.

"Ready for what?" Everyone turned around to see Pepper in the doorway. "Is this where you have been hiding out all day? I ended up having to ask JARVIS where you were."

"S.H.I.E.L.D sent us a bunch of film reels on Steve's life in the war, just from security cameras." It was Bruce who answered. "We've been watching them all day."

"Well, my paperwork is done, mind if I join you?"

"Not. At. All." Tony answered and kissed her on the cheek when she joined him on the couch. Steve zoned out while Pepper was being caught up-to-date, and considered what he had seen, and what he would see. Steve knew it was harder for Tony than he made it seem, but he hoped that Pepper would be able to help him through.

"Everyone ready?" After receiving an affirmative Steve flicked the switch, causing the screen to flicker to life.

_ "Fondue's just cheese and bread, my friend."_

Howard's voice was heard offscreen, causing everyone to laugh, Steve to turn red, and Pepper to look confused. "Aw, shut up."

_ "Really? I didn't think..." Steve responded, a tone of surprise in his voice._

"Nor should you, pal." Howard interrupted him.

"Dangerous activity, thinking is." Clint stated very seriously before breaking down into laughter with the rest.

_ "The moment you think you know what's going on in a woman's head, is the moment your goose is well and truly cooked."_

Natasha and Pepper rolled their eyes at each other.

_ "Me, I concentrate on work, which at the moment, is about making sure that you and your men do not get killed." He and Steve were finally on screen, heading to a table. Howard indicated a fabric laying on the table, "Carbon polymer. Should withstand your average German bayonet. Although... Hydra's not gonna attack you with a pocket knife."_

"That would be a sight to see!" Tony laughed, the thought of people fighting a war with pocket knives... Though, he reasoned grimly, rubbing a scar on his cheek, knives could definitely cause harm. Pepper squeezed his hand, nothing got past her.

_ I hear you're... Kind of attatched?" This he said in reference to Steve's stage shield, now very beat up._

"It's handier than you might think." Steve reasoned.

Most of the group snorted. "Handy" was a gross understatement.

_ "I took the liberty of coming up with some options." Howard gravitated over to a table covered in different types of shields, both the top and bottom racks full. He tapped a big rectangular one. "This one's fun. She's been fitted with electrical relays that allow you to..."_

Most chuckled, Tony and his father seemed to have quite a few similarities, not just looks.

"What?" the billionaire questioned, to which they all just shook their heads; no matter how alike the two were, Tony wouldn't want to hear it.

_ Steve wasn't listening to Howard. "What about this one?" He asked, grabbing a very familiar circular shield from the bottom shelf._

"No, that's just a prototype." Howard objected.

"Whats it made of?" Steve already seemed to have his mind set on that one, holding, spinning, and putting it on, ignoring the other man's objection.

"Vibranium. It's stronger than steel and a third the weight. It's completely vibration absorbent."

"Oh yes, it was able to take a blow from Mjolnir and not hurt the captain." Thor stated.

_ Steve's eyes widened slightly. "How come it's not standard issue?"_

"Yes, because all men fight with shields." Tony commented sarcastically, but was ignored.

_ "That's the rarest metal on earth. What you're holding there, that's all we've got." As Howard spoke, Peggy came on screen._

"Are you quite finished, Mr. Stark? I'm sure the Captain has some unfinished business."

There was a bite to her words, causing both movie-Steve and twenty-first-century-Steve to flinch.

"What unfinished business?" Bruce asked curiously.

Steve blushed. "Never mind that." His evasive tone caused everyone to exchange glances.

_ "What do you think?" Steve showed her the shield._

Peggy considered for a moment, then grabbed a handgun off of a table next to her. Steve realized what she was doing just in time to put the shield in front of his face, hiding as Howard dived behind a table. She fired three shots that hit the canter of the shield before calmly putting the gun down. Howard cautiously emerged, as did Steve.

"Yes, I think it works." the agent turned and walked away, leaving two stunned men staring after her.

The people in the theater weren't faring much better. Then the silence broke. "What did you _Do?_"

"It was nothing!" Steve's flaming red face told a different story. For once, the others decided not to press him; they'd save that for later.

"I _like_ her!" Natasha chuckled.

_ The two men stared dumbfounded at the woman walking away. Steve passed Howard a folded up piece of paper. "I had some ideas about the uniform."_

"Whatever you want, pal."

The film ended, leaving the Avengers to laugh at the latest scene.

"Ready for the next one?" Steve asked, anxious to avoid questioning about what Peggy was mad about. He received a few nods and went to setting up the next one. As he read the label, he smiled. This one would be interesting.

** A/N- Didn't turn out as I planned, but I hope you liked it! Virtual cookies to whoever reviews! Please let me know what you think!**

-Little-miss 


	9. Chapter 9

I**'m back!** **Sorry for the long wait, I have way too much going on! Hope you like it! BTW, I'm not an expert on 1940's television, so this is probably totally inacurate, but kindly ignore the mistakes please! Also, this is obviously not in the movie, that's why it took so long to write. That, and writers block. **

**Thanks to Amy, who suggested this chapter! Thank you, Flyingmachine1 and NickiMinajlsSWAG for giving awesome questions for the interview! IM AT 98 REVIEWS! THANKS SO MUCH!**

**-/-/-/-**

**LaughingLadybug- Hehe!**

**cucumbersrockursocks- Thanks!**

**NickiMinajIsSWAG- Thanks for reviewing! Glad u liked it! Thanks SOOO much for the suggestions!**

**Miss America of the USA- Love that scene too!**

**Susan (Guest)- Thanks! Glad you liked it!**

**vampyfreak- Might work that in l8r. **

**jwstahle- Aww! Thanks!**

**PrincessMnMz- Thanks! Glad you liked it!**

**Miss Crazy Canadian-** **Thanks!**

**AvengerGal- I knew I had to put that in, I feel like they would get along pretty well!**

**booklover613- Yepp!**

**InvisableGleek- Awe! Thanks for reviewing. **

**mudkipz (Guest)- I think they would get along**

** (Guest)- You guessed it!**

**Rachel (Guest)- Thanks!**

**WolfDarkfur- Thanks for reviewing!**

**11pink45 (Guest)- I'm Definitley having them watch that one!**

**Rika100- Glad you liked it!**

**slacker (Guest)- Thanks for reviewing! I'm not having Natasha recognize Bucky, because I don't read the comics. Sorry, I just don't think I'd do it justice. **

**LiveLifeFree- Awe! Thanks!**

**lwolf (Guest)- Thanks!**

**mitchellhp- Glad you understand that. I'm glad you like it, and I hope you like this chapter!**

**LaughingLadybug- Thanks! Hope you like it!**

**mitchellhp- Glad you liked the rewrite of ch. 2**

**Clarissa Jackson- Thanks!**

**mwjen- Thanks! & ur welcome. **

**PrincessMnMz-Here it is!**

**Artemis GoH- Cool idea! I'll see what I can do**

**light4love- Wow! Great suggestions! I'll prob. use the 1st one. In response, do you remember the note at the beginning of the story? In that note, it'll explain some things, like why he was filmed, etc. Thanks for the long review! It was Definitley appreciated. **

**-/-/-/-**

**DISCLAIMER- I don't own the Avengers!**

**-/-/-/-**

Steve walked over to the quickly diminishing stack of film canisters and grabbed the top one. On this canister, the label had faded almost beyond recognition, but Steve smiled. He knew what that one was. He turned back to the chattering group behind him and announced, "This one is probably going to be a bit shorter, but definitely more cheerful than some of the other ones we watched."

When he started speaking, everyone fell silent, excited for the next reel. "Ready?" They all nodded and Steve turned the projector on.

"JARVIS! Lights!" The AI dimmed the lights again, while the screen showed the new image.

_The image on the screen was of six men in military dress, Steve in his Captain America uniform, and a man in a suit, sitting in chairs forming a semicircle. _

-"What's this?"

-"An interview with the Howling Commandos." Steve smiled at the thought of his old comrades. He had, in fact, been in contact with Dum-Dum, who lived in a retirement home in upstate New York.

_The man in the suit spoke into a microphone, "Good evening! Today, we are here for an exclusive interview with none other than Captain America and the Howling Commandos!" He paused for offscreen applause before continuing. "I'm Chris Messer, and with us today is Gabe Jones, Timothy Dugan, Jim Morita, Jacques Dernier, James Montgomery Falsworth, Seargent James Barnes-"_

-Steve closed his eyes at the mention of his best friend, grief almost overwhelming him again. Natasha's hand rested on his arm in comfort and he smiled at her before turning back to the screen.

_"-and Captain Steve Rogers, Captain America himself." More applause. "So, let's get right to this. As much as I'm sure people would love hearing about life in the military," he chuckled, "I think America would like to get to know you all a bit better. Get to know the men behind the uniforms. After all, you are America's special response team." The man smiled at all of them before asking the first question. _

_"You are possibly the best team the US army has to offer, how did you become a team?" _

_The team looked at each other with slightly amused looks before silently electing Dum-Dum to speak. The man sat forward a little bit more. _

"Is that mustache _real_?" Tony asked incredulously.

"No Stark, it's fake. He keeps it in a box for special occasions." Clint drawled sarcastically.

"That's not what I-"

"Let's continue watching, shall we?" Bruce interrupted the brewing argument.

"_Well, do you want the long version? Or the short one?" The mustached man said with a touch of humor, as was his style. "Basically, all of us in the group were in the 107th besides Captain Rogers. Most of our battalion was captured or killed; we were among the lucky ones who were captured. A while later, we were being kept in cells, and Captain Rogers dropped on top of our cage and set us free, then went to go save Sgt. Barnes from the interrogation room." Steve and Bucky smiled at each other, "We fought our way out. After we returned to base, Col. Phillips granted Captain Rogers his own team, and he asked if we would join." He then smirked, "Obviously we agreed."_

A few people chuckled lightly. The way that the soldier said it, even though he was talking about being a prisoner of war, made you want to laugh.

_The interviewer smiled and asked, "Did any of you know each other before the war?" The entire team turned to Steve and Bucky, who both grinned. _

"How long did you two know each other?" Bruce asked, but Steve shook his head and pointed at the screen. "Just watch."

_"Bucky and I have known each other since we were both eight years old." Steve smiled reminiscently, as did Bucky._

"Wow! How'd you meet?" At this Steve started laughing. "What? What's so funny?" Tony demanded.

"You'll see!"

_Chris nodded and continued, "How did you two meet?" At this, the team looked to their Captain with interest; they had never heard the story. _

The Avengers laughed and did the same.

"_Well," Bucky said, "We both grew up in the same orphanage in Brooklyn." The Howling Commandos all looked at each other in surprise. None of them had thought that their teammates were orphans. "I had been their my whole life, but when we were eight, Steve's mother died, so he joined me."_

"Pause." Tony said to JARVIS.

"I'm sorry, Steve." Pepper said.

"You were eight?" Natasha asked, surprisingly gently. Steve nodded, and Clint squeezed Natasha's hand.

"Tasha's parents died when she was eight." Clint explained. "Or, at least, we're pretty sure that's when it happened."

"I'm sorry." Steve said sincerely.

Natasha shook her head. "It was a long time ago. I'm fine."

"Wait, what about your dad?" Clint asked, "Bucky only mentioned your mom."

Steve's face grew dark. "Never-mind about him."

The other teammates exchanged looks. That didn't sound good. Did he die? Or... No. That couldn't have happened to Steve. Of course, they didn't know he was orphaned as a child until two minutes ago. "Did-"

"Let's just play it." Steve abruptly spoke up, effectively cutting off Tony.

"_Well then, I'm sorry." Chris Messer said, hoping to move on to a happier topic, "Where are all of you from?" He looked to Jim Morita, who was on the far right. _**(A/N- FYI, unless where they are from is in the movie or Wikipedia, I'm making it up)**

_"Fresno." the Asian man said simply, looking to his right to Gabe. "Eastport." The dark-skinned man responded with a smile. _

_"Chambéry, France." Jacques stated. _

_"Brooklyn." Bucky said, Steve saying the same. _

_"Boston." Dum-Dum grinned, tipping his ever-present bowler hat at Messer. _

_"London." Falsworth informed last, his accent easy to hear. _

_"Quite the widespread group, aren't we?" Messer said, smiling at the group. "Okay, we have time for a few more questions, these are from viewers, who heard you would all be getting interviewed, and mailed in questions!" The commandos exchanged slight looks. They had all gotten asked some, interesting, questions in the past. _

"This should be interesting!" Tony sat forward, only to be pulled back by Pepper.

"_Okay, first question." Messer chuckled as he unfolded the letter. "Was Captain America's shield ever used in an unconventional way?" _

Steve laughed quietly, remembering.

_The soldiers looked at each other and chuckled, obviously remembering something. Gabe sat forward, a grin on his face. "Well, I remember that we were somewhere in Northern Europe, I can't remember the country-"_

_"Denmark." Bucky supplied helpfully. _

_"Yeah, Denmark." Gabe continued after a grateful smile at the Sergeant. "Well, we were in the middle of a fight, and Cap threw his shield as usual, but it got stuck on top of a hill. I was closest, and knew that I needed to get it back to him as soon as possible, because we were pretty out numbered. I grabbed the shield and turned around and saw two of the Hydra soldiers coming up the hill towards me. Their Hydra weapons were gone; someone must've taken them, and they just had normal guns. I took a chance and used the shield as a sled and plowed them down and went down the hill to deliver the shield." At this point, the whole team was laughing. _

"Oh god! I can just see that now!"

"He seems like a formidable enemy." Thor said, and nobody was quite sure whether he was joking or not.

"Yeah." Steve said, thinking about his old team.

"_I'm sure that was effective." Messer chuckled. "Next question. What does Captain America do in his free time?"_

_"Well, we definitley don't have much of it," Steve said, but smiled, "That's for sure!" He went on, "I like to read, though."_

The team chuckled. That was a total understatement!

_The rest of his team started laughing, causing Messer to stare, "I sense a joke here! How about you tell me about it."_

_"Well, first thing you should know, is that he loves reading, and that's an understatement." Bucky grinned charmingly. "But there was a joke around, when he first joined up, saying that his trunk was so full of books that he didn't have room for anything else." He chuckled, "Been like that ever since I've known him!" Steve smiled good naturedly at his best friend. _

"Was that true?" Tony asked, smirking.

"Not all true. I did have a lot of books though."

"_Well, you are obviously a pretty tight-knit group. The last question is, do any of you have girls at home?" Gabe, Falsworth, and Bucky nodded, but Dum-Dum, Dernier, Morita, and Steve shook their heads. _

_"Well, tell them hello, they might be watching!" Messer grinned, and the three men dutifully wave at the camera. "Tell me about them, what are their names?"_

_"Evelyn," Bucky smiled._

"She was a sweet girl, really loved him."Steve said. "In the first video we watched, she was the one who Bucky was talking to."

"_We've been going steady for almost two years now."_

_"Very sweet. What about you two?" Messer turned to Gabe and Falsworth. _

_"Well, her name is Rosanne, and we've been together since college. I met her in French." Gabe said. _

_"Jane. We've been together for about six months now." said Falsworth, smiling. _

_"Well, the best to all of you. We are out of time, so good day. I'm Chris Messer." The film ended._

"That was cool. Definitley less depressing than some of the ones we've seen!"

"True, but," Steve stared at the film reel in his hands, "This one isn't."

The others exchanged glances. What could it be?

-/-/-/-

**A/N- Hope you liked it! We're nearing the end, just two or three left! The next scene is the last official scene, BUT if you want me to do a bonus one, (That I've already picked) at the end, let me know in a review! If you ask nicely, I might just give you a hint about what it might be! Review!**

**-Little-miss**


	10. Chapter 10

**I AM SO SORRY! This took way too long to update, I just had a terrible case of writers block, then I started watching Glee again, and the only things I have been able to write are Glee-related! Sorry! It took me an embarrassingly long time to even start writing this, but I hope you like it! **

**PS- Check the A/N at the bottom of the page to get a hint about the bonus chapter! ;)**

**mudkipz- haha! Glad you liked it!**

**AllieKatheryn- awww! Thanks! That's really sweet!**

**Rika100- Glad you're enjoying it! You're going to find out eventually! Hope you like this chapter! **

**TSRowenwood- Hmmm, let's see if your guess was correct!**

**halloweenlover890- Thanks!**

**vampyfreak- DING DING DING! Your guess was correct! Thanks for the review!**

**Lollypops101- You are correct!**

**mitchellhp- Thanks for the review! Glad you liked how I portrayed them. We are definitely doing the bonus chapter! Also, sorry the A/N wasn't an update!**

**WolfDarkfur- Thanks! Yeah, I missed that, I'll go back and fix it if I can remember to. **

**jwstahle- Aww! Thanks! I'm glad you think I'm doing a good job, that's something that I really work on. **

**PrincessMnMz- Well, since you asked so nicely... ;D Check at the A/N at the end for the hint. I'm not good with the whole patient thing either. I'm glad you liked the little stories! I had fun writing the one with Dum-Dum! Ps- I did too! **

**I Know Love Hurts 2010- Interesting saying there... Lol. Sorry it took so long! **

**Also, on your second review- good luck with your Sonny With A Chance ff! I used to love that show! **

**snowdancer119 (Guest)- Awww! That's really sweet! Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!**

**BATMANLOVER (Guest)- You are correct!**

**Dancing With The Clouds- Thanks! I'm planning on putting the whole thing with Steve's dad in the epilogue, unless I find a better place for it. Definitely doing the bonus scene! **

**That's really sweet, but I am DEFINITELY capable of writing a bad chapter... I just avoid posting them. **

**Guest- Not Bucky's death, I couldn't figure out a way for there to be a camera on the outside of a train. **

**kitkat7sherlock- Thanks for understanding! I hate writers block! **

**FlyingMachine1- Thanks! Hope you like it! **

**DISCLAIMER- I do not own the Avengers!**

The Avengers looked at each other worriedly. This one had their captain nervous; he was staring at the reel, biting his lip- a habit they had noticed when he was especially nervous about something- before taking a deep breath and standing to set up the projector. Then it hit them all. _Of course! _What other scene could elicit this reaction from the blonde man? They all settled in, Pepper curling into Tony's side, his arm around her shoulders, hugging her in. Natasha rested her head on Clint's shoulder, his cheek resting on her fiery hair. Thor hugged a pillow and his third box of Pop-Tarts, and Bruce sat forward, watching the quiet captain with concern evident on his kind face. Steve finished threading the projector and sat down without a word. Everyone turned to face the screen as the image of a large circular room flooded it.

_The room had curved pillars and a wall of windows with a forbidding looking chair sat, silhouetted against the windows, a control panel in front of it. The windows showed nothing but blue sky and white clouds. The room was deserted. Suddenly, movement came at the other end of the room in the form of Captain America opening the door slowly and peeking his head around it. He opened it the rest of the way, starting to slowly descend the steps with his shield at the ready. Captain America walked across the room, passing a metal contraption with a glow coming out of little holes in it. He tensed up when he got closer to the chair, trying to look around it to see the nonexistent occupant. A noise filled the air, it was the sound of a HYDRA weapon powering up. Steve turned around just in time to put his shield up to deflect the blast that the Red Skull shot at him._

The Avengers minus Steve stared at the man- if you could even call the Red Skull that- on screen.

_"You don't give up, do you?" the Red Skull yelled over the howling of the wind, holding the weapon at the ready. _

_"Nope!" Captain America responded and charged. _

"Great comeback, Steve." Tony said sarcastically. "_Nope_. I'm impressed!" Steve rolled his eyes and Pepper flicked her boyfriend on the back of his head. He rubbed his head and scowled at her, and she smirked back at him.

_Schmitt shot at the captain who deflected them while running. When he reached the Red Skull, Steve used his shield to knock the gun out of the other "man's" hands. Schmitt avoided the shield by leaning back and kicking him to the ground. Now on the grates that made up the floor, Steve tried to avoid Schmitt's feet before finally managing to get up and gain the upper hand; putting Schmitt in a version of a headlock. He had a forearm around Schmitt's neck, flipping him onto the ground. _

The Avengers winced slightly; that would definitely hurt. Natasha smirked, she could definitely use that move in her thigh-choke. Clint looked slightly apprehensive at the look on his partner's face.

_The two continued to struggle, Steve finally managing to get his shield and hit the other man with it, but Schmitt took hold of it and used it against it's owner. Steve got the shield back and hit Schmitt with it, propelling the Red Skull back, into the control panel. The plane started angling down, and Steve and Schmitt were sucked toward the ceiling of the aircraft, which was out of range of the camera. The two were not in sight, but continued sounds of a fight could be heard. _

At each crash or bang, the Avengers looked more worried for their teammate. They knew he survived- he was sitting right there, wasn't he- but they didn't know how injured he had gotten in the fight. Seventy years in the ice would have given him plenty of time to heal, so nobody knew how hurt he got.

_After a minute, Schmitt came back into view, using one of the pillars to pull himself down, and started pushing buttons and pulling levers on the control panel. Whatever he did seemed to work, as the plane leveled out again, causing the captain to thud back to the ground. Schmitt pulled out a smaller gun, looking around for Captain America. _

"_Of course_ he had an extra, couldn't make it too easy, could he?" The rest shot looks at Tony. Nobody but him seemed to be commenting on the film, it wasn't exactly one of Steve's favorites.

_"You could have the power of the gods!" Schmitt yelled, activating the gun. "Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations!" He shot the gun at Steve, who was dodging around the edge. "I have seen the future, Captain! There are no flags!" _

"Is he a seer?" Thor asked, slightly confused. The others exchanged "_who's on Thor-duty today?"_ looks, ending in Bruce speaking.

"It's just a figure of speech, Thor. He didn't really see the future." The thunder god nodded and seemed appeased.

"You can continue playing it, J."

_"Not my future!" Steve said back, slightly out of breath, but launched off the platform, past the door, and pulled out his shield just in time to block a bolt of energy. _

"Nice move." Clint said appreciatively.

_He threw the shield and hit Schmitt right in the stomach, sending him flying backwards into the generator, causing beams of light to escape the metal contraption. A loud screeching noise filled the air as a ball of energy formed, then dissipated. The tesseract had been dislodged, and was now sitting crookedly on the metal. _

"Uh oh." Tony said, causing everyone to roll their eyes at him.

_"What have you done?" The Red Skull picked up the tesseract, panting, and watched it closely. It started to glow brighter and brighter, energy coming off of it in steams of light. The light seemed to bounce and shimmer around the room, seeming to make the ceiling disappear, stars replacing the metal. _

_Schmitt's expression grew shocked, and Steve's did too, when the cube glowed even brighter than before. Schmitt's eyes widened, his abnormal facial features enhanced by the odd lighting, and the hand holding the tesseract started to disintegrate. The light shine brighter and brighter, him dissolving faster, until a huge beam of light shot out of the aircraft, followed by a flash, the screen turning white for a few seconds. _

_When the screen got its picture back, the ceiling was back, and Steve was the only occupant of the room. _

The Avengers, minus Steve, all looked at each other, shocked. If any of them had accidentally touched the cube…

_The cube sank through each level of the plane, making a clinking noise as it hit the floor before falling into the ocean. Steve walked over and picked up his shield, approaching the controls. He took his helmet off and turned the chair to face them, taking the pilot's seat. Small beeping noises made him look at a small circular screen before turning back to the window, a determined look on his face. _

_He located the radio and spoke through it, "Come in. This is Captain Rogers. Do you read me?" He spoke urgently. _

_Jim Morita's voice crackled through the radio. "Captain Rogers, what is your loca..." There was the muffled sound of people switching positions, and Peggy's voice interrupted. _

_"Steve? Is that you? Are you alright?"_

Both women gasped slightly, and the men's eyes widened. They didn't know that he had spoken to Peggy as he was going down.

_"Peggy! Schmitt's dead!" _

_"What about the plane?" _

_Steve continued flipping switches in vain. "That's a little bit tougher to explain." _

Even Tony didn't interrupt, everyone was watching the screen, unable to stop.

_"Give me your coordinates. I'll find you a safe landing site." _

_"There's not gonna be a safe landing. But I can try and force it down."_

_"I-I'll get Howard on the line, he'll know what to do." _

Tony hardly reacted to his father's name, too caught up in the scene.

_"There's not enough time, this thing's moving too fast and it's heading for New York." He paused and took a deep breath. "I got to put her in the water."_

There were tears in Pepper's eyes as they heard Steve say the words that would change his life forever.

_"Please, don't do this! We have time. We can work it out." By the word 'out', Peggy sounded like she was barely holding herself together, speaking desperately._

_"Right now, I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer, a lot of people are gonna die." A few beats passed, and the business-like tone that was always present whenever he was wearing the Captain America suit was gone when he next spoke. His voice held so much sadness and tenderness and regret. Not regret for the lives he was going to save, but what he was leaving behind. "Peggy... This is my choice." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a compass, resting it on one of the dials, opened. In the lid of it, there was a picture of Peggy, which he looked at sadly before screwing up his determination and pushed the control forward. _

_The plane went into a decline, and Steve spoke. "Peggy." _

_"I'm here." There was a strain in her voice, which told that she was holding back a sob. _

_"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance." _

At this, even the men and Natasha had misty eyes. The scene was heartbreaking.

_"All right." She paused and took a breath. "A week, next Saturday at the Stork Club." _

_"You got it."_

_"Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?" The icy water was approaching faster and faster, reflected in Steve's eyes. _

_"You know, I still don't know how to dance." The fear was evident in Steve's eyes. _

_"I'll show you how." There was a hint of a smile in her voice, barely noticeable with all o the sadness. "Just be there."_

Pepper curled up to Tony, who hugged her with one arm, Natasha and Clint had their hands clenched together, and Steve was holding a compass in his fist as everyone watched the two plan the date that would never happen.

_"We'll have the band play something slow. I'd hate to step on your..." There was a huge crash, and the image on screen shook and disappeared, but the sound was still there. _

_"Steve?" Peggy's voice crackled, sounding disjointed, like the radio had gotten damaged. "Steve?" The sobs were audible, "Steve?" She asked desperately, hoping for an answer, but everything remained silent. _

Pepper let out a small sob, burying her face in Tony's chest with one hand over the arc reactor. He was murmuring to her to calm her down. Even Natasha and Clint, who were used to shutting off their emotions, were quietly holding onto each other. Bruce seemed lost in his own world, deep in thought, and Thor's expressive blue eyes were full of sadness. Steve was staring intently at something in his hands, tears pricking his eyes, which he blinked back.

"Steve?" Pepper's voice sounded, closer than expected. The blonde man looked up, startled, and saw his teammates gathered around him. He expected the typical _"Are you okay?"_ to which he would say he was, even though he wasn't, because he needed to be strong to be a leader, which meant that he couldn't be weak. However, nobody said a word. They didn't need to. At some sort of silent signal, they all rushed forward, and Steve was engulfed in a huge group hug. Pepper's ponytail was tickling his neck, he could feel Clint's calloused hand on his arm, Thor's strong arms were wrapped around him in a bear hug, Bruce's untidy hair was visible out of the corner of his eye, and they were all bathed in the blue glow of the arc reactor.

It was quiet, but a comfortable quiet, only punctured by a soft sob every once in a while. Steve finally let tears trickle out of his eyes, knowing that his team was family, and he didn't have to hide his feelings. They wouldn't judge him.

"Thank you," Steve spoke as everyone untangled themselves, "really."

Pepper smiled, a warm smile that brought forth memories of Steve's mother. "What's a family for?"

Again, everything was silent, nobody wanting to be the first to speak, but Tony couldn't stay quiet for long. "Is that the last one?" Steve looked down at the pile of canisters, going through each one.

"I guess it is!" He said, surprised. Everyone else was surprised too. It did make sense that there were no more, but it seemed like they would keep coming. Clint reached down and picked up a blanket to fold, but something clattered to the floor, causing all eyes to turn to him.

"Guys, I think there's one more."

**A/N- Again, I'm so so so sorry for this taking so long! Please review! They make me happy! Just one more chapter before the epilogue! Virtual cookies to anyone who guesses what the bonus chapter will be! Until next time, here's your hint!**

**HINT- Someone didn't get a chance to say goodbye.**

**-Little-miss**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey! I'm ba-ack! Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays! Here's the next chapter of Film Reels, also known as the last real chapter! There will be an epilogue to close things up, then it will be done. I have been asked, but I'm not doing this for the other Avengers, as this is exhausting to write. Speaking of exhausted, it's 1:50 am right now, and most humans are asleep, but some couch cushions on my bedroom floor are not very comfortable, and I'm suffering from a bit of insomnia at the moment. It may have to do with the fact that I went see ****_LES MISERABLES _****a few hours ago and it was ****_AMAZING! _****Definitely go see it! I cried. I ****_never_**** cry during movies! **

**Speaking of Les Mis… I'm working on the next chapter of "****_A Little Fall of Rain?"_**** so if any of you Avengers fans are also Les Mis fans… (Hint hint) **

**Thank you to all of my lovely reviewers, here are the replies to your equally lovely reviews!**

**-:-:-:-:-**

**Squee the magical bunny- Sorry, not her. I'm not doing this for the others, sorry. **

**snowdancer119- I'm glad you liked! Hmm, I guess you'll find out!**

** .98- Glad you like it!**

**GuidedByHarbourLights- Wow! I'm so glad you liked it! Was you tearing up good? I hope so!**

**Lollypops101- Sorry, it wasn't them. I think Peggy's still alive. **

**vampyfreak- Glad you liked it!**

**Rika100- Thanks for the review! It was bittersweet. **

**jwstahle- Sorry, not him. Hope you like who I chose!**

**Miso Muchi- Hmm, who did you think it was?**

**CluelessItalian- Sorry, neither one of them. The idea about Steve's mom was interesting, though. I wouldn't have thought of that. **

**Cookie-the-Rookie- Yeah, there's no way to not make the chapter sad...**

**silmarlfan1- Lol! Planning on it!**

**Preferably- Glad you liked it, those were my favorite scenes too. Sorry if there was a lack of Howard/Steve scenes in the reels, I have some trouble writing sorta-serious Tony. **

**OptimusPrimeAddict- Lol! Glad you liked!**

**Kind of Cloudy- Hey, nobody's gotten it right! Who did you think it was?**

**-:-:-:-**

**DISCLAIMER- I don't own it! **

**-:-:-:-**

"Guys, I think there's one more." Clint's quietly spoken words caused all eyes to fly to the canister in his hands.

"But, that was everything in the stack, wasn't it?" Steve asked, looking back through the other canisters. "Are you sure we haven't already seen it? What does it say on the label?"

Clint frowned, turning the metal container over to check the other side. "It's completely blank, nothing's written on it." He looked up at his teammates. "Should we watch it?" Steve shrugged, "We might as well. I have no idea what this." Curiosity sparked in the others' eyes as they all headed back to their previous positions, settling in for the next view into their friend's life, all of them rather subdued from the previous video. Even Tony didn't speak.

Steve looked at the reel apprehensively as he set it up, wondering what on earth it would be, and sat back down once he was finished. "JARVIS, can you play it please?"

_"Right away, sir."_ The lights turned down and the screen flickered a few times before the image of a room came into view. The Avengers could tell immediately that this wasn't security footage, as the camera seemed to be a bit lower than eye level, as opposed to a bird's eye view. Steve gasped, a hand over his mouth and understanding coming into his eyes. Everyone looked at him questioningly, but he ignored their gazes and stared at the screen, murmuring something too quietly to be heard. They turned back to the screen and observed the image.

The room was small, sparsely decorated, with wallpaper so faded that the pattern was indiscernible. A small picture hung on the wall, and the top of a wooden chair was visible in the center of the screen. The image shook slightly, like someone was setting the camera down, and someone came into view. Steve gasped at the sight of the person who settled himself down on the chair.

"Bucky." Steve's eyes were wide, and everyone looked at him with sad eyes; they all knew he missed his best friend. After watching the interview, however, they determined that Bucky more than they knew, judging by the pain and regret in their captain's eyes.

_Bucky looked down at his hands for a moment before taking a deep breath and staring right into the lens, his dark eyes reflecting the light of a lamp, probably placed behind the camera. Then he spoke. "Hey, Steve. Wow," he chuckled, "That's kinda weird. You know, saying hi to you when you aren't here-" He broke off, rolling his eyes at himself and running a hand through his dark hair. "Yah know, if you were here right now, I know exactly what you'd say to me. _

"Quit it with the blabbering, Buck," Steve said, a sad smile playing around his lips.

_"You'd say 'Quit it with the blabbering, Buck.'" He grinned. _

"Spot on!" Tony said, obviously trying to ease some of the tension in the room. "It's almost as if you said it before!" Natasha rolled her eyes and Pepper smacked him lightly upside the head, but Steve smiled a bit. Tony's humor was often unwelcome, but there were moments such as these where he was grateful for the comic relief.

_"That's exactly what you'd say." Bucky's mood seemed to shift, and he looked down again. "I bet you're wondering why I'm doing this right now. I'm not great with words, you know that. Matter of fact, neither of us are. But I guess the best way to explain this is…" He trailed off and started over again. "I'm going to be shipped out soon, heading to camp, and you're gonna be all alone here. I know you know how to survive. Hell, we practically lived on the streets when we were kids, avoiding the St. Mary's crew. _

The teammates exchanged glances. How much about Steve didn't they know? They knew much more about their friend than when they started, but there were still so many unanswered questions about his past, the one on the forefront of everyone's mind was what he had let slip about his father while watching the interview.

_'You survived that, and the years since, but you know I'm worried about you. You can barely last a day without getting beat up in some alley, and soon, I won't be there to pull those guys off of you. You'll be on your own. _

"Why did you get beat up so much?" Tony asked, eyebrows raised. Steve grimaced.

"I was a small guy who never knew when it would be a better idea to just shut up and let the other guy believe they were right for once."

"And that's changed… how?"

"Well, I'm not a small guy anymore."

"Well-"

"Tony, Steve, leave it."

_"Every time I went to go rescue you, I guess I pictured you as the little kid who came to the orphanage, scared of everything. I know you give me flack about going all," he used air quotes, "'Mother hen' on you, but you've been through so much, and you're like my little brother. And I don't care who's older- you're littler."_

"You're _older_?" echoed around the room, all in varying types of astonishment. Steve raised an eyebrow.

"'Course I am. I'm what, ninety-something?" The group chuckled at Steve's rare show of humor, but Bucky's next words made the mood go down, as they all knew just how true they were.

_ He smiled lopsidedly for a moment before frowning. "I'm making this film just in case. Just in case I don't come back. I borrowed the camera and bought the film, because honestly, I don't care that I might have a bit less to eat tonight and tomorrow until I get my next paycheck. We both know I can live without food for a bit, but I had to leave this for you." He looked off to the side, probably out a window before sighing and looking back at the camera. "After everything you went through with your dad," he grimaced here. _

The others exchanged worried looks; what had happened?

_"and your mom dying, I hate the fact that I'm leaving you too. If I could, I'd stay here, but we both know that I can't stay. I also know that you'd do anything to be able to enlist, but for obvious reasons, you can't. I know you'd probably kill me for saying this, but I'm glad you can't join. It's for your own good- Don't you dare give me the look I _know _I'm getting right now!" he accused, pointing a finger at the camera. "You know, the one with the one raised eyebrow and the look that tells me that I'm an idiot! You give me that look a lot." _

The Avengers all looked at Steve and laughed when they saw that expression on their leader's face. "He really knew you too well, didn't he?" Bruce chuckled.

Steve sighed. "He really did know every single little quirk I had, but I knew every one of his. It really helped when we were kids, running from-" He broke off and looked down awkwardly. "Yeah, we knew each other better than we knew ourselves."

The others watched Steve sadly. They would probably never understand him that completely, but they would definitely try to.

_He sighed and ran his hand tiredly down his face._

_"What I'm trying to say is that, you are more family to me than anyone who's blood related. They abandoned me, you didn't, and you're like a brother to me. I hope that I come back from the war to find you home and safe, but just in case I don't, I need you to know that you are not _like_ my brother, you _are_ my brother in everything but blood, and I love you like a brother. You and I were there for each other for all those years at St. Mary's, and the years after that, living paycheck to paycheck, and I hope that we can continue to be there for each other after I get back. And," He added, losing the serious air and grinning, "One of these days, one of the blind dates I set you up on are going to work, and you're gonna find someone."_

"Hmm," Tony seemed glad that the sad moment was done. "How'd that work out?" Steve rolled his eyes and threw a pillow into the billionaire's face.

_He leaned a bit to the side and studied something for a second. "I'm starting to run out of film, so I'm ending this. I hope you don't find this before I leave, because I'll never hear the end of it. Probably most of it would be about what I said about being glad you can't get sent over. So if you're watching this, you've obviously looked on the top shelf in the hall closet." _

Steve sighed, "I never got the chance to look."

_He checked the amount of film left and sighed. "Steve, remember what I said. And remember this- it was not your fault what happened to your mom. I know you still feel guilty about it, but don't. It wasn't your fault, it was _his_." As he said this, he stared straight into the camera, as if trying to see out the other end. "Bye for now. I hope that I'm still here when you eventually watch this, but just in case, bye, Stevie." He smiled for a minute at the old nickname before the image flickered and disappeared._

Steve continued staring at the screen, expression unreadable. The other Avengers looked at each other before heading over to their friend, who seemed slightly lost. Pepper separated from Tony and sat next to Steve, putting an arm around him in an almost motherly way. The younger man instinctually turned into her, and she wrapped the other arm around him and pulled him into a hug, resting her cheek on the top of his head. She was slightly surprised to find his shoulders shaking, but she masked that and rubbed his back soothingly, ignoring her boyfriend and the others. After a few minutes, he pulled away, seeming a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry, it's just… He was all that I had for so many years, and I hardly got the chance to mourn while the war was going on, then when I woke up, it was the Chitauri attack, then…" He trailed off, looking lost again. Pepper shook her head and rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. "We don't blame you, Steve. It's okay." Steve looked around at his new family, and knew that it would be okay. It really would.

**-:-:-:-**

**A/N- Hope you liked it! I'm surprised that nobody guessed Bucky! Anyway, the last chapter will be up as soon as I write it! Anyway, please review! These reviews mean a lot to me and they really brighten my day! (or night, depending on when I read them…) **

**-Little-Miss**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, so I am SOOO SORRY! It's been almost two months since I posted an actual update! I feel awful about that! Anyway, thank you for all of the support everyone has given me, in both reviews and PM's. The reviews have really been what have kept me motivated to make it this far, and this is by far the longest story I've attempted! **

**Speaking of reviews… Chapter 11 brought me my 150****th**** review, from one of my anon readers! So, congratulations, "Guest"! (PS, I hate referring to people as "Guest", so if you could give yourselves names, that would be great. Thanks! ;P) **

**As I stated in my A/N, I'm sorry, but I will ****_not_**** be writing these for the rest of the characters. I don't have the patience or drive to do one more of these, let alone more than one. If anyone else wants to, BE MY GUEST! **

**During this chapter, I took some creative liberties. In canon, Steve's mom died from influenza when Steve was a teenager, but I changed that. I hope that's alright! ;P**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own The Avengers! **

**Here are the replies to my reviews…**

**GuidedByHarbourLights- o.O Thanks...? I think. I'm glad you liked it, but I'm sorry that it makes you want to punch me... But don't worry, I totally get it. **

**vampyfreak- Thanks!**

**Cookie-the-Rookie- Yeah, stupid plot tricks. **

**Rika100- I'm glad you liked it, but I'm sorry you cried...**

** .98- I take it you liked it?**

**LaughingLadybug- Hehe! Thanks!**

**Mina888- Thanks so much! **

**Dancing With The Clouds- Yeah, I didn't think he would! **

**jwstahle- Thanks for the review! **

**Miso Muchi (Guest)- Yeah, I didn't think anyone would think of Bucky. Thanks! **

**Avengerscrazygal (Guest)- Sorry, not going to. You're welcome to, though! **

**me (Guest)- Glad you like it! (Very creative name) ;P**

**I Know Love Hurts 2010- Thanks so much for understanding! I hope you get over your hiatus too! **

**Book girl fan- Yeah, I hate it when stories end, but otherwise, there would be some ridiculously long stories out there. (More than there already are) Glad you're enjoying it! **

**LucyWithoutDiamonds- Thanks for understanding! **

**Jewel Princess1992- Thanks for the kind review! I'm glad you understand!**

**FudoTwin17- lol, thanks for the enthusiastic review! =P Hope you like it!**

**_Last Time:_**

_Pepper separated from Tony and sat next to Steve, putting an arm around him in an almost motherly way. The younger man instinctually turned into her, and she wrapped the other arm around him and pulled him into a hug, resting her cheek on the top of his head. She was slightly surprised to find his shoulders shaking, but she masked that and rubbed his back soothingly, ignoring her boyfriend and the others. After a few minutes, he pulled away, seeming a bit embarrassed._

_"Sorry, it's just… He was all that I had for so many years, and I hardly got the chance to mourn while the war was going on, then when I woke up, it was the Chitauri attack, then…" He trailed off, looking lost again. Pepper shook her head and rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. "We don't blame you, Steve. It's okay." Steve looked around at his new family, and knew that it would be okay. It really would. _

Five minutes were spent in silence; everyone in the group was deep in thought, thinking about the scenes that they had just finished watching. Pepper still had an arm around Steve's slightly shaking shoulders and was rubbing his hand soothingly. Bruce was staring off into nowhere, brows furrowed as if working over a complicated equation. Clint and Natasha were having one of their silent conversations, unreadable expressions on their faces. Tony was frowning, but his eyes showed that his mind was far away from the darkened room, more specifically, his thoughts resided in Brooklyn. Finally, Steve straightened up, wiping his cheeks and standing up. All eyes turned to him.

"Well, um, I think I'll go back to my room…" he said awkwardly, "Kind of tired…" He turned to leave, but a voice made him stop in his tracks.

"Steve?" Bruce asked, coming back from wherever his thoughts were. Steve looked at him questioningly. "What happened to your mom?" Steve froze. "It's just that something that Bucky said made me think. He said to stop blaming yourself, that it wasn't your fault, it was _his_," He used quotes around "his". "What did he mean?" Steve's partially reconstructed mask was slipping again, his face reflecting conflict and pain, worry flashing across his eyes too.

"Steve? You don't have to tell us, but it might help." Natasha said, eyes on the blonde. Steve shook his head, "I- I'll tell you." He moved over to the seat that he had abandoned and sank into the couch again, taking a deep breath before beginning his story.

"Growing up in the Depression was rough. My parents were Irish immigrants, so we didn't live in the best circumstances. We never had much money. More often than not, I would go to bed hungry because we couldn't afford to get three meals a day, sometimes not even two. Looking back, it's incredible that we held onto the house for that long." Steve had a faraway look in his eyes, and it was as though he was back in his childhood. "I had a lot of health problems, most of which needed medicine, which we couldn't afford, so I wasn't able to play outside with other boys because they were too rough. My ma was a veritable saint, though. She got a job as a seamstress and a laundress to try and make ends meet, all while taking care of me, and handling my dad. She worked hard to try to give me the best life I could, and anytime she would have the tiniest bit of extra change, she would put it in a jar and save it for things I needed. My dad on the other hand… He worked when he could, but Ma and I never saw his paychecks. He bought the strongest cheap liquor he could get, and would come home drunk out of his wits. He wasn't… He got angry really easily, and the drink only made it worse. He would turn violent at the drop of a hat, and took it out on Ma and me. Ma'd try to keep him away from me as much as she could; sending me out of the house to our neighbors if she saw him coming home, but there were always times when she didn't send me away fast enough." Steve shuddered, rubbing his left forearm absentmindedly.

"One night, when I was eight, Dad came home drunker than anything. Ma had been in the kitchen, cooking up some chicken broth and vegetables for dinner; she had just gotten a pay, and had managed to get some of the cuttings from the chicken at the butchers down the street for cheap. We were both really excited because neither of us had had chicken in so long. I was staring out the window, trying to draw the boys playing a game of soldier outside. I was so concentrated at getting some of the detail right that I didn't see him coming…"

_Steve sat on the windowsill, tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. He held a tiny pencil stub carefully and traced the outline of one of the trash bins onto a blank bit of paper. He glanced out the window quickly before turning back to his paper, starting to shade it in. He didn't hear the sound of clumsy footsteps approaching the door. His mother- busy in the kitchen and humming to herself- glanced back into the tiny living room to look at her son, peacefully drawing. She didn't hear anything until the floor creaked in the hallway outside, causing both mother and son to jolt upright, alarmed looks on their faces. Instantly, Sarah Rogers ran into the living room toward her son._

_"Run, Steve!" She hissed, kissing him quickly on the head, "Go! Go to the closet!" Steve ran as fast as he could to the hall closet and hid inside the always-empty laundry hamper that his mother kept there just for times like this. Sarah checked quickly to make sure that he was hidden completely before rushing back to the kitchen just as the door opened. A red-faced man with a scowl stumbled in, cursing the whole way. _

_"SARAH! Get in here!" _

"That night, after he had yelled at her for a while, he started looking around for me. When he asked where I was, Ma lied and told him that I was at my friend Richard's house. He didn't need to know that I didn't know a Richard. But for some reason, he just kept coming closer to the closet I was in, maybe he thought it was where he stored his liquor- I don't know. All I know is that he was getting angrier and angrier, and closer and closer. My ma was trying to distract him, but he just kept coming, then I sneezed. It was really dusty in the hamper, and I already had a cold. But that did it. As soon as he heard the sneeze, he blew his top and started going after me. Next thing I know, my Ma is on the floor, bleeding, and my dad's passed out from being hit on the head with the pot of chicken broth."

The Avengers all sat around Steve, spellbound and horrified. "The next few hours were a blur. My neighbor heard me screaming and came over, then sent her son to the police station to notify them. My dad was put under arrest and died a few years later, my ma was buried, and I was put in St. Mary's Orphanage where I met Bucky. We spent the next decade running from the nuns before we moved out and bought the apartment that we lived in until both of us were shipped out." Steve ended his story, and his teammates made no reaction, still staring at him, horrified.

"Oh, Steve…" Pepper, ever the maternal one sighed. Steve shook his head, looking downwards. "Please just leave it. It was a long time ago." The other members of the team exchanged worried glances, but complied.

"…So…" Tony started awkwardly, trying to break the silence that had fallen. "I keep wondering, what was Peggy so angry about in the scene with your shield?" To everyone's surprise, Steve's face turned red. Clint grinned, "Come on, Steve, what was it?" Steve muttered something unintelligible, and they all leaned forward to hear him better.

"What was that?" Bruce asked. Steve spoke up, "She… walked in just as one of the women who were working as secretaries around the base kissed me. She surprised me, and I didn't have a chance to get away…" He trailed off awkwardly as his friends started laughing at him.

"Classic," Clint laughed, "Seriously. Hey, Tasha, that reminds me of that one time in…"

"Don't even think about it." Natasha cut him off, glaring at him. He grinned, and the others looked at them in curiosity before deciding that it was better not to know.

"This story reminds me of a time in my adolescent years," Thor said, chuckling happily. Tony was still laughing at the expression on Steve's face, as Pepper rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. Bruce chuckled quietly as was his way. Steve's blush was fading slightly, and he started to laugh too. Natasha and Clint exchanged glances, Clint grinning, and a corner of Natasha's lip twitching before they finally gave in to the laughter. Avengers tower rang with happy laughter, the superhuman occupants of the uppermost floors all knowing that they had a family within the group.

**:=:=:=:=:=:=:**

**Not sure how much I like the ending, but that may just have to do with the fact that this is over! I can't believe how far this has come, and how much support I've gotten for it! This started as a oneshot, because I wanted to read a story about the Avengers watching the plane crash, then I wanted to have them see pre-serum Steve, then… it turned into this! **

**Now, for the last time, I want to thank all of you who read this, especially those of you who reviewed. Without you motivating me, this would have died a long time ago, but this is now my first completed multi-chap! With almost 20,000 words,** **26,296** **views, 200 followers, 138 favorites, and 158 reviews, this is by far the longest story I have ever attempted. So thank you! To all of my readers who have supported me since the beginning, you know who you are! **

**THANK YOU!**

**-Little-miss**


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